Reefing question

[sagablu]

Good day all,

Here is the Monday newb question you are all waiting for.

in regards to a Pearson 10M, With a little help I set up the clew reefing lines, that was easy enough once I understood the arrangement. When it came to the reefing tack I have short straps on each side of the sail with a ring attached. I assume a should use a Ramshorn hook on each side and attach to the cleats on the mast that are below the winch. Is this correct? I looked at many youtube videos relating to reefing, I see nothing about this arrangement. Any thoughts or anything I should know to do and not to do???

Thanks!

As an aside and in consideration of my inexperience, I thought of this new name for my boat, "Clewless". Comments? Not a big fan of puns but it kinda fits.

[fallingeggs]

That is how I do it on my 38'. The tack rings to the rams' horn.

How do you cleat your main halyard? It would be great to have the main halyard cleat within reaching distance of the rams' horn for easier adjusting. If you cleat the main halyard at the cockpit (as I currently do) it is a pain to run back and forth to get things hooked up before re-tensioning. I have tried marking the halyard, but the distance I need to lower seems to move depending on how the sail flakes.


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[fallingeggs]

Let me also point out that you don't need to attach both rings to both sides of the rams' horn. One ring to one side is enough!


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[MarkSF]

Originally Posted by sagablu

Good day all,

Here is the Monday newb question you are all waiting for.

in regards to a Pearson 10M, With a little help I set up the clew reefing lines, that was easy enough once I understood the arrangement. When it came to the reefing tack I have short straps on each side of the sail with a ring attached. I assume a should use a Ramshorn hook on each side and attach to the cleats on the mast that are below the winch. Is this correct? I looked at many youtube videos relating to reefing, I see nothing about this arrangement. Any thoughts or anything I should know to do and not to do???

Thanks!

As an aside and in consideration of my inexperience, I thought of this new name for my boat, "Clewless". Comments? Not a big fan of puns but it kinda fits.

Normally the ramshorn hooks are bolted directly to the boom. The strap goes through the sail, and has a metal loop on each side. To reef, you just attach one loop to one hook. The loop on the other side of the sail stops the strap from passing through the sail.

I don't get the bit about attaching to cleats. Not necessary.

Sounds like you have two separate straps, one each side of the sail? Same as above, attach one directly to one hook.

[sagablu]

Originally Posted by fallingeggs

That is how I do it on my 38'. The tack rings to the rams' horn.

How do you cleat your main halyard? It would be great to have the main halyard cleat within reaching distance of the rams' horn for easier adjusting. If you cleat the main halyard at the cockpit (as I currently do) it is a pain to run back and forth to get things hooked up before re-tensioning. I have tried marking the halyard, but the distance I need to lower seems to move depending on how the sail flakes.


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My lines do not run to the cockpit, The halyard cleats to the mast. Further question, it seems the ramhorns look like they attach to a pin or something. I do not see what I would attach it too. MY original thought was to attach it to a line and secure that to a cleat on the mast, but the attachment on the Ramshorn do not seem to allow that. All ideas are welcome.

[MarkSF]

Could you post a pic of the ramshorns? And the boom and the mast?

[sagablu]

Originally Posted by MarkSF

Normally the ramshorn hooks are bolted directly to the boom. The strap goes through the sail, and has a metal loop on each side. To reef, you just attach one loop to one hook. The loop on the other side of the sail stops the strap from passing through the sail.

I don't get the bit about attaching to cleats. Not necessary.

Sounds like you have two separate straps, one each side of the sail? Same as above, attach one directly to one hook.

Ah, OK. That is really helpful. Do you know where I might find a picture of what the installed ramhorns would look like? I did not see anywhere obvious where it would bolt to the boom.

[cal40john]

Some ideas:
Reef Hooks

[fallingeggs]

It is a little hard to grasp what you are describing. My rams horn is attached to the mast side of the gooseneck. It isn't welded in place and has a little play. It is well integrated into the gooseneck structure so it isn't pulling out.


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[fallingeggs]

Originally Posted by cal40john

Some ideas:
Reef Hooks

That is helpful. Mine looks like PP 54-21 fwiw.


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[sagablu]

Originally Posted by cal40john

Some ideas:
Reef Hooks

Ok, I think I am getting this, should have taken a pic of my current arrangement. From my memory of my set up and in the example of the Reef Hook/Tack assemblies, that would mount on the pin that attaches the boom to the mast, therefore attaching the clew shackle and also giving me a hook for the reefing ring. Does that make sense?

[UNCIVILIZED]

One of the most reliable ways to secure the clew rings at each reef point, is to have a pair of Wichard Snap Hooks welded onto the horns, after cutting off their tips.

Or an even easier solution, is to buy a pair of snap hooks, or stainless carabiners, & attach them to a hard point on the spar with a Spectra (Dyneema) strop or lashing, of the correct length.
Also, you can splice loops for the snap hooks into both ends of the strop, & attach the strop to a hard point on the mast, using a cow hitch.

Then when you go to reef, you simply lower the main enough so that you can clip one of the hooks onto one of the rings on the main, & then tension the halyard.
It's a Very KISS setup. Fairly inexpensive too. With zero chance of the rings slipping off while you're tensioning the halyard.

[MarkSF]

Originally Posted by sagablu

Ah, OK. That is really helpful. Do you know where I might find a picture of what the installed ramhorns would look like? I did not see anywhere obvious where it would bolt to the boom.

I searched Google images and found various different setups - sometimes they are bolted through the end of the boom, and sometimes to a part of the gooseneck.

[roverhi]

You only need to hook one of the rings around the hook on the gooseneck. Tried to do both around the hooks and found it near impossible to get both on the hooks for the first reef and impossible for the other reef points. Then it occurred to me that you only need hook one side of the rings to secure the tack to the gooseneck. The webbing and two rings are there to give enough length to make the hookup possible.